When I first started at DDA as an advertising copywriter, one of the first projects I worked on was a search engine optimized website for a printing company in Philadelphia, PA. Years ago, I knew nothing of search engine optimization (SEO) or, for that matter, of the printing world. Wanting desperately to do well with the given task and to learn as much as possible about both areas, I threw myself into the website development project with both feet.

I travelled to the company and took a tour of the entire facility from digital prepress to mailing and fulfillment. I spoke to the company’s President who climbed the corporate ladder literally from the ground up and to those that perform their strategic responsibilities within the company day in and day out to obtain first-hand information. I can remember to this day how I went home after work and told everyone everything I learned about the printing industry.

My excitement soon faded when I realized I needed to then learn all there was to know about SEO copywriting - something one was and is not taught in college curriculum. With the help of my colleagues, research, and trial and error, I discovered how to integrate relevant keywords into the copy in order for the web page, and subsequently the website, to achieve high rankings on major search engines, such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN.

Hearing years later that through the collective efforts of optimized online copywriting, strategic website design and development, and the DDA exclusive SureThing™ Program, the site is doing well and that they have achieved high rankings and more rankings than they ever initially thought they could is a great feeling. I’ve learned so much since that introductory project with respect to a large variety of companies in different industry segments, as well as what it takes to write the seo copy that makes websites not just “brochures”, but effective online businesses.

That said, there is still much to learn, so back to work.

When I was in college, I struggled to find my niche with regard to a career. I started as an accounting major and then filtered my way through marketing, psychology, sociology, and secondary education to end up with a rare degree in Professional Writing. My hobbies as a child ran the gamut from photography, violin, and sewing to softball, poetry, and singing. I tried almost everything at least once, and for the most part I loved it all. I even liked ballet, although I pirouetted into the wall in a dance recital and rollerblading, although I fell and scarred myself for life.

Today, as an advertising copywriter for DDA, I’m able to enjoy the many different aspects of the career options and hobbies that held my interest when I was younger. I can express my creativity as I did in photography, poetry, and sewing through copywriting services for brochures and websites. I can utilize what I learned in psychology and sociology classes to maintain a good repore with clients, and the organizational skills gained through accounting for overseeing projects from start to finish. For that which I did not necessarily succeed, I’ve learned to pick myself up, dust myself off, and move on to the next venture.

The lessons learned in school and fun as a child I carry with me every day and try to build upon them with practical application. It sometimes amazes me to step back and think about how one’s experiences truly do shape the ethics and capabilities displayed in the workplace.

At Dynamic Digital Advertising (DDA), we have a staff of talented and degreed individuals, which include progammers, copywriters, videographers, animation artists, photographers, web developers, search engine optimization specialists, graphic designers, project coordinators, and more. While many advertising agencies employ freelancers that are remotely based and often times disconnected from the work involved in a project aside from that of their own, DDA has all creative team members available in-house for linear production and comprehensive collaboration.

For example, the work I do as an advertising Copywriter for a brochure is not considered seperate from design, but rather part of the whole overall concept. The text supports the illustrations and vice versa so the brochure functions as one cohesive piece that conveys the “right” collective message. This approach is applied to all service areas of our business. No team member, whether they be man or woman, animator or writer, is considered more important than another. We work together to accomplish the objectives of our clients. All pieces of a project are critical to its success, even down to the proofreading done for accurate functionality and spelling.

Our ability to communicate and work together for a common goal is one of the many ways that make DDA the better choice for your advertising needs. We are a team of professionals that have obtained degrees from around the world and have come together to work on a level playing field and provide the very best quality work for our clients.

My job as an advertising Copywriter does not end at 6:00. This is not due to the fact that DDA demands overtime, but rather because the field of advertising is all-encompassing and the creative mind works on no time schedule. Outside of the office, I find myself analysing commercials, print ads, direct mail pieces, radio spots, billboards, etc. to determine the target audience and to decipher the message being conveyed. I often reflect on what was successful in making me think about the promoted product or service, as well as what failed to grab and maintain my attention. I admit, because of this, it can be difficult to watch television with me since I am always questioning, analyzing, and criticizing.

The information I gather from observing others’ advertising and marketing objectives in different media is broken down into theories: those that have been proven to be effective versus those that have been proven to be futile. From this, I am able to extrapolate what theory to use for my own creative copywriting. For me, it’s about taking what exists and reinventing the wheel in a way that works for me, my clients, and their customers. Creativity is not something that one can turn on and off; it’s there all the time as one gathers and assimilates information so that when the time comes to implement, one can emerge with new and innovative ideas.

Whereas I once thought I was being overly critical of the media around me, I’ve now come to appreciate this aspect of my personality, realizing that it’s what fuels my work and my desire to be the best Copywriter I can be.

Happy Thursday! Before working at DDA as an advertising Copywriter, I never thought I’d be saying those words. Our 8-6, Monday-Thursday work schedule is something that I’ve come to appreciate more than I ever thought I would. During our work days, all the members of our staff (including programmers, web developers, search engine optimization specialists, graphic designers, photographers, videographers, and more) put in a hard day’s work from addressing client needs as they come up to being exceptionally creative on the spot in the projects with which they are involved.

With this schedule, dinner may not get on the table as early as one’s hunger may like and there are some Pennsylvania winter days that the only sunlight you see is on your lunch break, but having three days to recoup and refocus is a lifestyle that I wouldn’t want to trade. For me, it’s the perfect balance of work and play. Furthermore, in order to generate creative copywriting on a daily basis, one needs to stay fresh and ready to write about any topic at the drop of a hat. I truely feel that I am able to write better as a result of this balance in my life.

When clients first contact us and we explain our schedule, some express their concern (which we are often able to alieviate as we are on call as needed on Fridays and even the weekend in extreme situations), but most say that they wish their employer would implement a similar schedule in their organization. In Europe, this type of schedule is far more common than in the U.S. Try to shop in parts of France during lunch and you may find closed doors, or attempt to do business with a Swedish company in the month of July and you may have trouble getting your objectives accomplished. Why? Because other countries realize that the right balance between work and play is key to sucessful organizations.

Perhaps more businesses in the U.S. should adjust their way of thinking with regards to the work week. They may find, as we have, more productive employees and better quality work.

As an advertising copywriter at DDA, I write for many differently types of media, including websites, corporate and medical videos, a variety of print materials, and more. I’m passionate about capturing and engaging the target audiences’ attention so the strategic messages are well received. I’m a firm believer that creative copywriting is key to successful advertising in any business in any industry.

Throughout the content development process, I enojy learning about a specific company as well as its products or services to represent the organization as if I’m one of their own. I hope that you enojy getting to know me through the course of this blog!